Vote No on Europe and a second referendum will be held, says Blair

Tony Blair signalled yesterday that he would not be bound by a No vote in a referendum on a new European constitution and might hold another one to secure a positive verdict.

While Michael Howard, the Conservative leader, promised to "accept the verdict" of the British people, Mr Blair made clear that he would not give up seeking to reach agreement on the new constitution.

Mr Howard said if the British people voted Yes, a Tory government would accept the constitution. But if there was a No vote, it would veto the treaty.

Mr Blair and the Tory leader clashed in the Commons for the second time in 24 hours yesterday over the Prime Minister's surprise about-turn on holding a referendum in Britain. Announcing the decision to call a referendum on Monday, Mr Blair said the British people would be given the "final say".

But challenged by Mr Howard on the implications of a No vote, Mr Blair said Britain would be in the same position as Ireland, which initially rejected the Nice Treaty on enlargement of the EU in a referendum in 2001.

Related Articles

After receiving assurances on Irish neutrality, the country voted Yes in a second referendum. "That is what Ireland did after the rejection of the Nice Treaty. That is what would happen if we were in government," Mr Blair told MPs.

The exchanges continued by letter after Question Time, with Mr Howard saying that if the British people were to vote No, a Conservative government would use its veto and would not agree to any new treaty which established a constitution for the European Union.

"Countries have constitutions. We do not want to be part of a country called Europe," Mr Howard said. He said while the Tories would accept the verdict of the British people, the clear implication of Mr Blair's remarks was that, if he was still Prime Minister, he would follow the Irish precedent.

"In other words if the British people did not vote the way you wanted, you would make them vote again until they did," Mr Howard said.

Mr Blair conceded that Britain would remain a full participating member of the EU even if it voted down the proposed constitution. Mr Blair has sought to portray the referendum as a historic "in or out" decision on Britain's destiny in Europe, claiming that a No vote would push Britain to the margins of the EU.

When Mr Howard sought an assurance that Britain would remain a full participating member of the EU if people voted No to the proposed constitution, Mr Blair said: "If the constitution is rejected in a referendum then yes, of course, the position remains that we then have to work out the way forward with the other countries and, until that is done, the status quo remains."

A Government White Paper on Europe published this week acknowledged that the EU would continue to operate without the new constitution. "While the [European] Union could function without the new treaty, it would do so less effectively," it stated.

Mr Blair ducked a challenge from Mr Howard to take part in a televised debate this summer after EU leaders had agreed the new constitution. Mr Blair said the debate should take place in Parliament - which was televised. The Tory leader mocked Mr Blair over the disclosure by Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, that Mr Blair announced his U-turn over a referendum without consulting the full Cabinet.

Mr Straw said that, because the Prime Minister's change of heart had leaked out over the weekend, it had not been possible to delay the announcement until after it had been formally discussed at today's Cabinet meeting.

"That's what Mr Blair means by Cabinet government. He performs a huge policy U-turn, leaks it to the newspapers and then tells the Cabinet there's no time left for them to make a decision," said Mr Howard.

Mr Blair suffered a further setback when Lord Heseltine, a leading Tory pro-European, cast doubt on whether he was prepared to share a platform with Mr Blair to secure a Yes vote. Mr Blair has been hoping to build a cross-party coalition to campaign for the constitution.

Oliver Letwin, the Conservative treasury spokesman, promised that his party would "labour night and day to prevent the Government from sleepwalking this country into the European Constitution".

Last night, Mr Straw attacked opponents of the draft constitution, accusing them of having no interest in what was in the treaty. "They do not seem interested in the substance of what the text contains. Indeed they have so little confidence in their case that they dare not argue on the basis of fact," he said in a speech at the Mansion House in London.

"They do not trust the people to make a judgment on the reality of the European Union but instead try to win the argument by peddling myths and misconceptions."

He argued that by strengthening the EU Council of Ministers, where ministers from member countries consider and vote on policy, the constitution gave more power to member states rather than less.

The British people are to be given the chance to vote on whether to adopt a European constitution. It will be one of the most important decisions we will ever have to make, affecting the future not only of Britain but the whole of Europe.

Throughout next week The Daily Telegraph will publish a special series setting out the arguments for and against the constitution. We also want to hear your views.